Heat Loss
by ashleezak
Summary: Art draws many admirers, but when Castle gets in over his head, he discovers that his art attracts a different kind of admirer. The dangerous kind. Very mild Beckett/Castle, rated for some language.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I claim nothing except the plot. I just had a plot bunny that either needed shot or written. I'd say I chose the less violent one, but you'll have to read to find out._

_This is a completed work and will be updated on a regular, or at least semi-regular basis. Please, enjoy and review.  
_

Kate Beckett sipped her steaming coffee, waiting for her crew to come in. She knew she was in early, so early that she ran into the graveyard shift. As they started thinning out, though, she started going through her case files for the day and mentally making odds for who would be in first.

Esposito would be the first one in, followed by a rushed Ryan. Castle wasn't due to be in today unless they got a call. She enjoyed slower days like this. Paperwork took on a mind of its own if it was left undone for too long, and she hated to do paperwork.

She nodded at Capt. Montgomery as he walked through to his office. He returned the nod and flashed her a pleasant smile. Those smiles were few and far between, and Kate knew that it should be a slow day.

Fifteen minutes later, she glanced up as someone walked in. Disappointment stung her as she realized that she'd lost her personal bet. Rick Castle was walking through the office.

"You're in early," she said drily. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned, but she noticed immediately it fell short of his normal charm. "I thought you'd just be thrilled to know that I'm going to be gone for several days."

"Oh?"

Slipping into his chair, he leaned across her desk and stole a piece of candy from her candy dish. "I am accompanying my mother to her premier in Chicago. She's not only starring in this show, but she's also one of the producers."

"Really?" Kate said, skepticism heavy in her voice.

Castle grinned and shrugged carelessly. "All right. So I loaned her the money that she put in. It was a good risk. The part was written for her, and she plays it perfectly."

Kate sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "I never took you for a shrewd businessman. Always thought you paid people to take care of your money."

"It's my mother," he said as though it explained everything.

And it did. She knew that Castle had a closer relationship with his mother than most men, and the fact that she lived with him didn't explain all of it. "When are you leaving?"

He shifted in his chair, and again Kate's instincts picked up on something in his manner. "I've got a couple things to do, but we have a flight later this afternoon. And then after the show I'm going to go ahead and take Alexis to L.A. to see her mother. It's been a while."

She cocked her head and gave him a hard look. "Castle, is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah." His cocky grin was back nearly at full strength. "And here I thought you'd throw a party 'cause I'm gone." Returning her stare, he added, "Are you actually concerned about me?"

Kate knew that she had lost. "Oh, please." She took the out he offered. "Go on. Have fun."

"Will you miss me?"

She fought back a blush at that. "Go. Now. Or I will shoot you."

That brought a hearty laugh. "Now I can go." Standing, Castle dipped into a respectable imitation of a gracious bow and kissed her hand. Laughing in the face of her glare, he nearly skipped out of the office.

His departure was followed by Esposito's arrival. "Was that Castle in here this early?"

"Yeah. He's going to Chicago with his family and wanted to tell us goodbye." She paused, debating whether or not to mention her misgivings. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

Esposito shrugged. "Yesterday, I guess." He eyed her warily. "Why?"

Kate shrugged off the question. "Nothing." She looked back at her pile of paperwork, but it had lost what little appeal it had. Opening up the top file, she began plowing through the reports.

She saw Ryan come in, late as she'd expected, but with all three of them working on files, the morning went quietly. So quietly, in fact, that when her phone rang she jumped violently.

"Beckett."

She saw Ryan and Esposito lift their heads in unison as they looked toward her.

"On our way." She hung up and stood, pulling on her jacket and checking her weapon in one smooth motion. Hesitating as she reached for her cell, she stopped when she remembered that Castle wouldn't be joining them. "Got a DB, guys. Let's go."

As they drove to the address, Becket noticed that the street was familiar, but it wasn't until she actually got out and saw the tape stretched that she realized where they were. "Figures."

Ryan looked toward her. "Excuse me?"

Beckett smiled tightly. "That's Castle's building just across the street there. He could've walked down in his pajamas."

"Oh, don't tempt him. He'll make you eat those words," Ryan laughed.

This grin was a little more genuine, but it faded quickly as she faced the crime scene. Slipping under the tape, she approached the body. The victim was an older man dressed in a dark blue suit. Beckett's instincts that had twitched that morning now rushed back with a vengeance. Her frown growing, she knelt by the body.

"What's wrong?"

She glanced at Lanie, who was already in place. "What?"

The M.E. stared at her. "You've got that look like something's up, and you've barely seen the body. So what's up?"

"I know this guy."

"You do? What's his name? I haven't found any identification on him."

Beckett shook her head. "No, I don't know his name, but I've seen him before. I know it."

"Yeah, you have," Ryan said as he walked up. "He's the doorman for Castle's building."

"Where is Castle? I thought he'd be here by now," Lanie said.

"Supposedly on his way out of town." Beckett stood and stared at the victim before turning to stare up toward Castle's penthouse. "Excuse me for a minute."

She strode purposefully across the street and into the lobby of the apartment building. As she walked, she remembered seeing the man present at the front of the building. He hadn't been there every time, but had been there enough to make an impact. Her trip up to Castle's apartment was too short for her to gather her thoughts completely, so she stood for a long moment outside his door.

Finally she knocked. She was startled to hear all of the locks being undone. In fact, she expected to see Alexis when the door opened, but instead she looked up into Castle's face.

"Beckett. What are you doing here?" he asked, startled.

She opened her mouth to speak before finding the words. "Um, can I come in?"

He blinked a couple times before shaking himself out of his hesitation. "Oh, uh, yeah. Come on in."

Beckett walked in, suddenly unsure of how to handle this. Most residents in the penthouse wouldn't even look at the doorman, let alone be friendly with him, but Castle seemed to write his own rules. "There was a murder across the street."

"Really?" In spite of himself, he dashed over to his front window and gazed down onto the street below. "Figures." He turned to face her. "You didn't just come up to tell me that, did you?"

There were days when she really hated his insight. "The victim was an older gentleman. He's been tentatively identified as the doorman for your building."

The color drained from Castle's face, and Beckett wasn't sure that he wasn't going to pass out. "Are you saying it was George?"

She nodded. "Castle, I recognized him."

He sank down onto an ottoman and stared off blankly. "I just saw him this morning on my way out. He, uh, he wasn't there when I got back, but I assumed he'd just gone home early."

"Why would he go home early?" Beckett asked, slipping into what Castle referred to as her 'cop mode'.

Running a shaky hand through his hair, Castle shook his head, still not meeting her eyes. "He had bad arthritis in his knees. Lot of nights the cold would just be too much." Dropping his head into his hands, he sighed gustily. "I've tried for years to get him to retire, or at least let me put in a word for him to move to the easier day shift. Damned proud old man." Lifting his head suddenly, he stared into Beckett's eyes. "What the hell happened?"

She fought to keep the relief she felt at that question to keep from showing. Too many guilty suspects never asked that question, since they knew what had happened. Then she realized that she needed to answer the question and blushed. "You know, I don't know. Once I recognized him, I just came straight over here." Standing quickly, she realized how awkward her timing was. "I'm sorry, Castle. You've got to be packing and I'm taking up valuable time."

"Aren't you going to tell me not to leave town or something since I was one of the last to see him?" he asked, a shadow of his normal self showing through.

Beckett shook her head. "I have your cell number. If I need to question you, I can find you."

A hoarse laugh erupted. "That I do not doubt." As he escorted her to the door, he put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "Find out who did this, okay? George was a sweet old man and a good friend. He was practically a grandfather to Alexis." His face creased with pain. "Mother's going to miss his flirting."

Beckett's heart sank. Although technically he was a suspect, she knew he hadn't done it. The pain was genuine for the old man's passing, and his loss would be keenly felt by the whole Castle household. "Listen. I'm sorry to spring this on you right before you leave." She put her hand on the doorknob, glancing at the bolts that lined the edge. "I will keep you updated, okay?"

"I know you will. It's what Nikki Heat would do."

She laughed, unable to stop it. "Absolutely. Have a good trip, Castle."

"Thanks."

Stepping out into the hall, she hesitated when she heard him locking the bolts behind her. The twisting in her gut was telling her that something was seriously not right with the writer.

Beckett really didn't remember the trip back down to the crime scene, or the rest of the processing. In fact, she seemed rather surprised when she got back to her desk and found her notebook full of notes that she'd taken. A call from Lanie had finally gotten her snapped out of her fugue.

"I don't have a COD yet, but I'm guessing it was blunt force trauma," the M.E. said by way of greeting. "There's no other marks or bruises on the body other than this gash on the back of his head."

"Why call me down here for that?" Beckett asked, confused.

"Because of this." Lanie pulled back the sheet covering the old man. She pointed to a red mark on his neck. "This was hidden by his collar."

The detective bent over to stare at the oddity. "What caused that?"

"Lipstick."

Beckett blinked. "Lipstick."

"Yes, lipstick. There was someone nuzzling up to our victim. If I had to guess, I'd say that our friendly doorman here was being hit on."

"You mean like some female lured him away from the door and then hit him on the head?"

The M.E. shrugged. "That's for you to figure out, not me."

"Thanks, Lanie."

"Kate?"

She turned back to face her friend. "Yeah?"

"What's up today? Castle's not at a crime scene, you're somewhere out in space. Something's going on."

Beckett started to deny it but thought better of it. "I don't know. There's just something about Castle that's …"

"Something's got your radar going off."

"Yeah." The detective leaned against the table as she tried to find the words. "He came in early this morning to tell me he'd be out of town for a few days. He could've just called to tell me the same message. Then when I went up to tell him about the murder, he …"

"He what?"

She shrugged. "He wasn't himself. No stupid jokes, no crass comments, nothing. I mean, he was friends with the vic, but even before that, it was just weird. And another thing. I've been to his apartment at all hours of the day and night, and he's never had his door locked. Never. Or if it was locked, it was never the deadbolts." Beckett chewed on her fingernail. "He had all of them locked this morning. I heard him open them when I knocked."

Lanie frowned. "Call the man. Ask some questions. Find out what's going on."

"What if it's personal?"

"Then he'll tell you that." The woman set her hands on her hips and frowned at the detective. "Find out the answer, and get your head back in this game. Our victim here deserves your full attention."

"You're right." Beckett sighed. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Now get out of here and find out who did this."

A smile ghosted across her face as she left the morgue. Lanie was never one to mince words. That's what she really liked about the M.E.

Glancing at her watch, Beckett realized that Castle was probably already at the airport or in the air. Promising herself that she'd call later, she forced her attention back to the case.

Ryan and Esposito had done a good job setting up the office with the known information. She stepped into her role as lead and began her brainstorming. "All right. Victim is positively identified as George Butler." She reread the name to herself and shook her head.

"What? You don't like the irony of his name and his profession?" Esposito asked snidely.

"That's not irony. That's coincidence. Irony would be if -"

"Knock it off. I got it." She continued reading through the facts. "He was last seen at his post at 7:26 this morning, which isn't inconsistent with the TOD that Lainie estimated." She heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that Castle had been with her at that time. "Who actually saw him last?"

"Um, that would be a Mrs. Greaver. She's the front desk day shift. Started her shift at 7 am and said that George was still there. She looked back and noticed him gone later, and since his replacement had called in late and George was supposed to stay until 9, she thought it was odd enough to remember the time."

"Okay," Beckett said, nodding at Ryan for his information. "Did Mrs. Greaver have anything else to say? Anyone she didn't recognize hanging around? Anything suspicious?"

"Not this morning."

She noticed the odd phrasing. "What do you mean, not this morning?"

"Mrs. Greaver has placed two police reports in the last month. One was last week and the other three weeks ago."

"What did she report?" she asked, biting back on her impatience. She couldn't believe that she actually missed Castle's snarky comments during this part of the investigation.

"One was for a suspicious person loitering on the street. Was watching the comings and goings of the tenants, and when a couple complained, she called the cops. The more recent one was for a threatening letter found in the lobby."

Beckett's gut leaped into overdrive. "What was in that letter?"

Esposito fielded that one. "Here's a copy of it. The original's still down in evidence. It hasn't been processed yet."

"_I know where you live. One of these days, you'll find yourself in a trap of your own making. I can't wait to be the one to bring the storm down on you. See you soon."_ She froze as she read the last line again and again. And again to make sure she was seeing the signature right. "This is signed Nikki Heat."

Both men looked up at that. "You could read that scribble?"

She placed the copy on the desk. "N-I-K-K-I H-E-A-T."

"Damn. How did I not see that before?" Esposito asked. "I read that letter."

"And there's the reference to Derrick Storm. It's one of the few lines that Castle uses frequently in his books. Someone, usually the villain, ended up saying that they were going to bring the storm down on Derrick Storm." Beckett followed her gut as she began brainstorming. "So Castle has a stalker."

"Okay. Let's say the letter was meant for him. How does that connect to the vic?"

Beckett began pacing. "Castle's been down this road before. He lives a high profile life, but he has safeguards to make sure that his stalkers cannot trace him to his home. Nothing going through his publishers would lead them to the right spot. So how did this stalker know where he lived? And as to a connection, maybe George spotted the same person hanging around too often. He did work the night shift. That's when most stalkers do their work. It's possible they killed him to keep up their stalking."

"That makes sense. But why leave a letter if they didn't want him to know they were stalking him? I mean, if you take out George to hide what you're doing, why announce it?"

The pain on Castle's face rushed through her mind. "They didn't kill George to keep him quiet. They killed him to hurt Castle." She stared at the detectives. "He was a friend to the family. Castle knew him well enough to try to get him to retire. He knew he was arthritic and shouldn't be standing all night in the cold. George flirted with Martha, and he said that George was practically a grandfather to Alexis. The letter didn't get the response they wanted, so they stepped up their game."

"If you're right, then they're not going to have a problem going after Castle himself," Montgomery said from behind them, startling all three cops.

"It's just a theory, sir," Beckett said.

"But it's a theory that fits. Find facts."

"Right. Ryan, go back to the building. Start with the surveillance tapes. Particularly the day that letter was found. Esposito, get down to Evidence. That letter needs processed. It's now a lead in a murder case. That ought to get it moved up on the priority list." She paused for breath. "As soon as you're done, go back to the building. Interview anyone you can find."

Montgomery gave her a tight nod of approval. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to hunt down Castle and shoot him for not telling me about this."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews and alerts. I hope you enjoy._

******

Three calls to his cell phone went unanswered as Beckett raced through Manhattan. Traffic was marginally lighter than it had been earlier in the day, and she took advantage of it. Turning her light bar on got her through a potential jam, and it wasn't much later that she parked in the same area she had that morning. She nodded to the day doorman and continued on up to the penthouse.

Knocking at the door brought no response. She pulled out her cell and dialed him again. Beckett froze when the phone started ringing. It was echoed by a ring inside the apartment. Her hand went to the doorknob and she turned it, expecting to feel the lock restrict the radius. Instead, it turned easily.

She felt the adrenaline start racing through her as she pushed the door. The deadbolts were open, and the door swung open.

Her weapon came out, and Beckett stepped inside silently. Everything was wrong. Every time she'd been here, there was a life to the space. Between the three family members, they made the spacious penthouse a home. Right now, there was a chill that she couldn't explain, and it scared her.

She swept the apartment, making sure that there was no one there. Downstairs looked normal except for being completely deserted. The scene was quite different when she went upstairs. The place had been ransacked, and it didn't take much for Beckett to see that there had been a struggle.

As soon as she was sure the apartment was clear, she pulled out her phone. "Ryan, get a CSU down to Castle's place on the double."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Irritated, she opened her mouth to yell at him for not following her orders, but she realized that Castle was his friend too. "Place is deserted, upstairs shows signs of a struggle and looks like it's been ransacked."

"On it."

She heard his phone go dead, and shock began settling in. Pulling out a pair of latex gloves that she always had stashed in her jacket pocket, she tugged them on and began looking at the crime scene more closely.

Beckett felt herself placing her feet carefully, not so much to preserve evidence, although that was nearly second nature to her now, but because if felt wrong to make noise in here. She was looking over Castle's desk when his cell phone rang.

Despite his playful, or puerile, personality, the detective was surprised to hear a subdued ringtone on his phone. She turned it over so she could see the caller. It was Alexis.

"Hello?"

The girl barely paused. "Hi, Detective Beckett. Can I talk to my dad?"

Beckett blinked. "I thought he was with you."

"No. I'm visiting Mom in L.A. while Gram's in Chicago. He said he had an important meeting before he came out to get me." Alexis paused. "Is something wrong?"

The cop argued with herself as to how much she should reveal. She didn't _know_ that Castle was missing, although her gut was screaming that there was obviously something very wrong. She went with a compromise. "I don't know where your dad is. He left his phone behind."

There was a gasp on the other end. "I knew something was wrong," the girl said. "He wasn't acting right. He called off our weekly laser tag game to make sure I could come see Mom."

"When did this start?" Beckett asked.

"I don't know. Maybe last week? It wasn't very noticeable." Alexis sighed. "He inherited every bit of Gram's acting abilities. Most of the time he can't fool me, but there have been a few times…"

"So, what else happened?"

"He spent a whole day meeting with his attorney a couple days ago."

Beckett made a note of that. "Alexis, can you think of anything else that might help?"

"I'm sorry. I was excited to come out here. I should've paid closer attention." She sighed shakily, and Beckett could hear the tears being held back. "Find my dad, please?"

"Absolutely." The detective gave the girl her cell number and instructions to call her if Castle contacted her or she thought of anything else. It was hard to end the call, knowing that there was a scared teen on the other coast waiting to hear about her father.

Quickly she scanned through Castle's missed calls. There had been three in the last hour other than her own. One was identified as his publisher, one from his mother, and one from an unknown number.

Beckett looked through his phone menu, sure that there was an address list in there somewhere. She found it and jotted down the name of the law firm listed. She'd just finished that when the first uniforms showed up at the door. Giving them quick instructions, she took off.

The office building was impressive, and in spite of herself, Beckett felt somewhat intimidated as she passed through the imposing edifice into the luxurious lobby. A quick check of the occupants told her which floor to start with.

Stepping from the elevator, Beckett walked up to the desk. "Detective Beckett, NYPD. Can you tell…"

The receptionist looked up at her and her eyes widened. "Oh! You're Nikki Heat, aren't you?" she asked excitedly.

"What?"

"Mr. Castle writes the best books. And I just love Heat Wave. It's so exciting!" The young woman giggled. "You're the one in the acknowledgements, aren't you?"

Beckett nodded hesitantly.

"Oh, can I have your autograph? Sign it to Tina."

"I'm sorry. I'm here on official business," the cop said, frowning in confusion at the receptionist's behavior. "I was told that Castle met with an attorney here recently."

"Oh, that would be Mr. Harkner. He's the one who handles all Mr. Castle's personal business." Tina shifted gears flawlessly into an efficient assistant as she dialed the phone. "Mr. Harkner? There's a Detective Beckett hear to see you." She listened into the receiver for a moment. "Okay." Hanging up, she smiled at Beckett. "He'll be with you in just a moment."

"Thanks." Beckett gave the girl a long look before scribbling her name on the back of one of her cards. "Here."

Tina took it and giggled ecstatically. "Thank you so much. This will go right next to Mr. Castle's signed copy of Heat Wave."

Beckett took a seat and shook her head. Since meeting Castle, her life had certainly taken a much higher profile than just an average cop. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that her autograph would be sought out. A rueful smile crossed her lips. Life with the author was anything but dull.

"Det. Beckett?"

She looked up to see a very distinguished older gentleman approaching her. "Yes."

He held out his hand. "I'm Brian Harkner. I'm pleased to meet you. What can I do for you?"

Beckett shook hands and went straight to business. "Can we speak in your office?"

"Of course." He led her back into the warren of mahogany doors and gold name placards. Opening the door marked with his name, he ushered her in and closed the door behind them. "Please, take a seat."

"Do you know where Rick Castle is?" she asked, getting right to the heart of the issue.

"No, I don't." Harkner gave her a long look. "From your presence here, I can only assume something's happened. What's wrong?"

"Castle's gone missing. His place has been ransacked." Beckett was shocked to feel her throat tightening up as she said those words aloud. "He left his cell phone behind, and we have reason to believe that he may have had a stalker."

"Rick has had quite a few stalkers over the years," the attorney said. "Most of them turn out to be obsessed women chasing him. However…" He entered something on his computer, and a moment later had what he wanted. "There were two that actually ended up being prosecuted. One was a young college student. Five years ago, he managed to discover Rick's home address and began sending stories to him. After the young man physically approached Alexis at her school and made her promise to take his work to her father, Rick had no choice but to file a restraining order. When that was violated, he pressed charges. I do not know what the outcome of that case was."

"What was his name?" Beckett asked.

"Bradley Meretan."

She jotted the name down. "And the second?"

"Ah, that one was much more tragic. A young woman sent him letters daily, telling him that she was his psychic and that the spirit of Derrick Storm was giving her information as to how the books should progress. Rick chalked it up to an overzealous fan until she broke into his publisher's office and began leaving her letters there. This time the publisher filed charges, and the young woman was sentenced to two years in a mental facility. She committed suicide six months after she was released." He consulted his computer again. "Her name was Sheila Vaughn."

The detective took that information down and gave the lawyer a long look. "You are the most cooperative lawyer I've ever questioned," she said, her suspicion showing.

Mr. Harkner returned her look before reaching in his drawer and pulling out a paper. "Rick had this drawn up last year."

Beckett took the paper and frowned as she read it. "You mean…"

"Yes. He wanted you to be included in his confidentiality agreement should the need ever arise." Harkner sighed. "If he's missing, I'd say the need is pressing."

"It is. I'm not sure if this is pertinent, but I'll ask anyway. Alexis said that you met with Castle two days ago. What were you discussing?"

The attorney's face grew grim. "We were updating his will. I believe that Rick suspected something, and with your suspicions about a stalker, I now understand his hurry. Unfortunately, the contents of his will cannot be divulged unless he's deceased."

That statement made Beckett wince. "We're doing everything we can to find him alive."

"I know that." Harkner leaned back in his chair. "He's right about you. You are very tenacious."

A grin flashed on her face before she could control it. "Castle is a … unique personality."

"Despite his cavalier approach to life, Rick has a very serious side. He has great respect for you." The lawyer smiled. "And he demonstrates that with his writing. To have a character based on you is a very high compliment."

Beckett ducked her head, remembering the chagrin and embarrassment she'd experienced when she found out about Nikki Heat. "Unfortunately that kind of attention can be a two-edged sword," she said simply. "Thank you, Mr. Harkner, for your time."

The gentleman stood and held out his hand again. When hers took his, he held it and caught her gaze. "Please find him, Detective."

Leaving the office, she headed back to the precinct. Ryan and Esposito had beaten her back, and were eager to add their findings.

"The video tapes showed a group of people passing through the lobby and the letter was slipped on the front counter at some point. No way to tighten up the focus or change the angle so we could see who delivered it. My guess is they knew the camera was there," Ryan said, rushing to get his report in first.

Esposito glared at him. "We got the letter processed. There were no fingerprints other than the front desk lady, but there was one interesting bit about the paper. The copy doesn't show it, but there's a watermark on the original." He held up a blank piece of paper that displayed the same symbol. "This is Castle's own personal stationary. He's one of only a half dozen customers of this brand. The manufacturer said it's expensive because it doesn't do well in most computer printers and has to go through some weird special process to put letterhead on it."

Beckett took in the information and stood still, contemplating the white board. "Okay. We have a dead doorman and Castle missing. What ties them together?"

"There's a stalker in the mix, too."

Ryan snorted. "Well, assuming the stalker killed the doorman, we have our link."

"I'd rather not be an ass right now, thank you," Beckett said as she began pacing, not taking her eyes off the board. "Castle sent Alexis to L.A. to be with her mother, effectively getting her to a safe place. I haven't talked to Martha, but apparently he did the same thing with her. Two days ago, Castle updated his will."

Both men stared at her. "He knew something was up, then. Castle doesn't play around with stuff like that."

She spun around suddenly. "Ryan, go back over the videos, this time from today. See if we can pinpoint a time when Castle left." _Or was taken_ hung in the air unspoken. "Esposito, check out Castle's real estate holdings. See if he had anywhere he could go hide. Check friends, family, anyone you can think of."

They both left to pursue their leads. Beckett called Martha quickly and got a variation of the same story Alexis had told. The detective's assurances to her were the same that they'd been to the girl. As soon as the call ended, she turned her attention to her computer.

It didn't take long to bring up Bradley Meretan's rap sheet. He had been a NYU student who'd been an aspiring writer. Other than the restraining order violation, the man's record was clean. He'd received three years probation and had stayed off the radar once his probation was up.

Sheila Vaughn's case took a bit more looking into. Other than the break in at the publisher's, her record was clean, too. Her death had been investigated, too, and there had been no evidence of anything other than a self-inflicted overdose. Her brother, Mark Vaughn, had been infuriated by his sister's suicide and had tried to sue the hospital where she'd been committed, the police department, the prosecutor, and the publisher. He'd even brought a wrongful death suit against Castle, but the judge had dismissed each suit for insufficient grounds.

Beckett stared at that for a while. Here was a solid lead. This man certainly had reason to want to get Castle, even though he'd never even met the woman. She inhaled and stood, energized that she finally had someone to go after.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks so much for the great reviews. I really appreciate them._

_*****  
_

Vaughn glared at the two way mirror in the interrogation room. Beckett stood on the other side of the glass, chewing at her lower lip as she watched him fidget and throw dirty looks toward her.

"Giving him a chance to stew?" Montgomery asked as he walked up behind her.

She sighed. "I just now realized how much I've gotten used to having Castle to back me up in there. He's a natural."

Montgomery put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Then go get this guy to tell you where he's at."

Her eyes grew wide as she looked at her captain. "What happens if we can't find him? Or can't find him in time?"

"We'll find him." The older man laughed. "Just imagine the story he'll spin from this adventure once he's back."

Encouraged by the thought, Beckett drew herself up and nodded. She marched into the room and silently took a seat, deliberately ignoring the suspect.

"You drag me in here and you won't even look at me?" the man growled.

She looked up, but her gaze was cool enough to quiet his complaints. "Mr. Vaughn, do you know why you've been brought in here?"

"No. Your officers weren't kind enough to share that information."

"Are you familiar with Richard Castle?"

Beckett took note of the man's reaction. His face tightened and she could feel the hostility radiating from him. "Yeah, I know who he is." Cocking his head, he said, "I never actually had the pleasure of meeting him though."

She ignored the obvious sarcasm in the last statement. "Where were you this afternoon between noon and 5 pm?"

"At work. Where I am everyday." He stared at her shrewdly. "So what happened to him? Someone decided to make him a plot in one of those cheesy books of his?"

"Why would you say that, Mr. Vaughn?"

Mark laughed. "Homicide detective's sitting here questioning me about a murder mystery writer and she wants to know what made me jump to that conclusion?" He leaned forward on the desk. "I hope that hack rots in hell. He's the reason my sister's dead."

"Your sister was diagnosed as a manic depressive. Her death was at her own hand, not because of some writer." Beckett stared him down. "I'm sorry for your loss. Sheila's death was a tragedy, but she broke the law when she broke into the publisher's office."

"So everyone keeps telling me." His face stilled, drained of any emotion. "That won't bring her back."

"Neither will suing everyone involved, but you pursued that vigorously enough."

Anger flashed in his eyes. "Every penny of it would've gone to her memory. I've already started a foundation in her honor."

"I know."

Her simple statement seemed to steal the wind from his sails. "You know?"

She nodded indolently. "It's here in your file. You are the chairman of the Sheila Vaughn Memorial Fund. It helps mental hospitals secure needed funding for special programs. It's no secret that you knew about your sister's mental problems, but you still tried to blame Castle for her death. Why?"

"It was those damn books. She bought every one, spent money she didn't really have to go to those book signings and get every single one autographed. She read them over and over and over until that became her only reason for living. When she was arrested for that stupid break-in, it broke her. Her hero wasn't even there."

"Mr. Vaughn, your sister didn't only commit the break-in, but she sent letters to both the publisher and Castle. We tend to classify that as stalking." Beckett leaned forward. "Had Castle decided to press charges for that, she'd have done actual jail time instead of just two years mental observation."

The suspect actually looked startled. He shook his head slowly. "Letters?"

"Yes. Sheila presented herself as a psychic conduit to Castle, claiming that Derrick Storm could speak through her and tell him what to write." The detective softened her voice as she continued. "Those letters could've spelled a much, much harsher penalty had he decided to press charges. Instead, he took pity on her and did nothing. It was the publisher who pressed charges for the breaking and entering."

Vaughn slumped in his seat. "Oh, Sheila, why'd you do that?"

Beckett seized the opportunity. "Where is Castle, Mr. Vaughn?"

"I don't know." He was still stunned by the revelation about his sister. "Are you sure about those letters?"

"Very sure. So you have no idea where Castle is?"

He snorted. "I told you, I've never met the man. I spent so much time blaming him…" His voice trailed off.

She stared at him. He wasn't their guy. He was telling the truth. Still, she had one more thing to try. "All right, Mr. Vaughn. If you can do this one thing for me we'll be done here." Sliding a notepad across the table, she pointed at it with the pen in her hand. "Would you sign your name and then write the name Nikki Heat?"

He scrawled his signature and then frowned. "How do you spell that?"

Beckett knew then that he wasn't the stalker. She finished the interview and trudged back to her desk. Another lead gone cold and Castle was still missing. She glanced at her watch. Her shift had ended hours ago, but she just couldn't leave the office.

Ryan ran into the squad room and skidded to a stop by her desk. "We've got him on tape!"

She followed him to the A/V room. The tech had the tape set up and paused. "The time stamp is 2:29 this afternoon. Watch."

The lobby was empty, but as Beckett watched, she saw Castle strolling casually out. He glanced right up at the camera and nodded ever so slightly. A few seconds later, another man walked out behind him.

"Who is that?" she asked as she watched him walk quickly through the lobby.

"The guy never faces the camera. Twenty bucks said he knew exactly where they were." Ryan sighed. "He's alive and walking as of this afternoon."

"But that means that he's been missing for nearly five hours." She dropped her head and massaged the bridge of her nose trying to ease the ache. "Good job, Ryan."

"How'd the suspect go?" he asked.

"Got his writing sample, but unless the lab says the writing matches, we got nothing. The guy had been blaming Castle for years for something he didn't do." She sighed and stretched. "Go on home, Ryan."

"Not a chance."

Beckett blinked at his vehement reaction. "Excuse me?"

"You're gonna be here all night, so I will too." He grinned and shrugged. "Castle's our friend too."

She shook her head, unsure of how the millionaire misfit had managed to worm his way into this precinct so thoroughly. "If you're staying, go grab some dinner." She tossed him a twenty. "I'm in a burger mood."

"Yes, ma'am," and he snapped off a snarky salute.

"What's with him?" Esposito asked as he watched his partner leave.

"Food run. If you want something, go catch him."

"Nah. I'll just call him in a minute." He leaned over the desk. "Did you get anywhere?"

"Nope. What did you get?"

A big grin creased his face. "Castle's little hideout."

"What?"

"Castle's got an apartment over in midtown leased under Rodger Alexis. The building manager said he saw a man matching Castle's description there about four this afternoon. He was with a younger couple." Esposito grinned. "He told the building manager that he needed the key to show the apartment to them since he was renting it out. Manager said all tenants have their own keys, so there was no reason to ask for his."

"Except to leave breadcrumbs for us to follow," Beckett finished. Excited, she pulled her jacket on. "What's the address on this?"

Esposito handed her the paper. "You want uniforms backing you up?"

She shook her head as she checked her gun. "Give me SWAT. If this is a kidnapping, we may need a negotiator and more firepower." Beckett's grin was blinding. "Thanks."

"Go bring him home."


	4. Chapter 4

The feeling of going into a building behind SWAT was incredible. Beckett adjusted her vest, making sure that it was settled properly. She felt the familiar adrenaline rush surging through her as she took her place, weapon ready, behind the lead officers.

The apartment was quiet. She heard the call to hold positions as the snipers got into positions. The wait was agonizing, but the last thing Beckett wanted was to scare the guy into shooting.

When the report came back that there was no movement in the apartment, she inhaled, fighting back the fear of what she'd find inside. Glancing at the SWAT commander, she nodded when he gave the order to enter.

A moment later, it was all over. The battering ram made quick work of the door, and within seconds the small apartment was cleared. The discovery of a female body in the lone bathroom meant that her work was just beginning.

Beckett made all the appropriate calls before taking a moment to think. Castle was still out there, and since she didn't have his body, she hoped that he was still alive. Unsure of what had happened in this apartment, she knelt by the female body. The girl looked to be about twenty. Her clothes spoke of money, enough to buy the artfully ripped and stained look that was popular with certain cliques. There was blood smeared across her face originating from her hairline, but she couldn't see the wound that caused it.

Careful not to touch the body before the M.E. arrived, she took note of any potential clues. Pulling out her pocket flashlight, she shone it on the still face. It took her a moment of hard staring for her to place what she was looking at. The girl's lipstick was remarkably similar shade to the mark left on the doorman's neck. She sighed as she jotted the note down. It was an interesting lead, but it would have to wait until the lab techs could confirm if it was truly the same lipstick. On a hunch she pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of the deceased's face.

She quickly gave the team that arrived the information they needed to start processing the scene and then left. Trusting Esposito and Ryan to run with this case, she took off into the dark, driving through the streets that were emptied by the rain that had begun falling earlier. The only lead they had remaining, at least until the body was processed, was the other stalker. Beckett wasn't sure that Castle had time to wait for lab work to be completed.

Perusing through her notes, she shook her head to herself even as she found the last known address of the stalker. No criminal activity meant that this was just an over-enthusiastic fan and fellow writer who got a little too pushy. Beckett made a turn toward the right area of the city and wondered why her gut twisted uneasily.

The address was a pleasant brownstone community, and she knew she didn't exactly look her best dripping wet as she walked up to the door. Knocking, she pulled out her badge and for a moment wondered exactly what she was going to say.

An older woman answered the door, pulling a jacket tight around her. "Can I help you?"

Beckett showed her badge. "I'm looking for a Bradley Meretan."

"Oh, Brad hasn't lived here in years," she said. "Is something wrong? Is he in trouble again?"

"Again, ma'am?" Beckett asked.

"Well, he got tangled up with that writer fellow a while ago." A cold wind blew rain in on both of them. "Please, come in. It's too cold out there."

"Thank you." Once inside, Beckett looked around at the cozy home. "When did Brad live here?"

"He stayed with me while he was in college. I'm his aunt," the woman explained as she took a seat. She waved for Beckett to take one as well.

"What's your name, ma'am?"

"Oh. I'm Vicky Haberman. Brad moved in here after high school to help out after my husband was killed. He was a policeman, just like yourself." Vicky sighed at the memory. "He was such a help. And Nick's friends, well, Nick was my husband, Nick's friends took the boy under their wing. I thought for a while Brad might follow in their footsteps, but he decided to go to college instead."

"What did he study?" Beckett asked.

"He wanted to be a writer. He had such an active imagination. Wrote some wonderful poetry." Mrs. Haberman shook her head. "He wrote those crime stories, too. Someone getting shot or stabbed or poisoned every other page. Gave me nightmares."

Something in the conversation was setting off the detective's instincts. "Do you know where Brad lives now, Mrs. Haberman?"

The woman shook her head. "He's moved on. Once he got with that girlfriend of his, I haven't seen him. She came from such a good family. I can't believe how wrong she turned out."

Beckett pulled her phone from her pocket. Skimming the menu until she found the stored picture, she held it up. "Does she look familiar?"

"Yes, that's her." Mrs. Haberman squinted at the image. "What is that on her face?"

"What's her name?"

"Oh, uh, Chelsea. Chelsea Walker."

"Thank you, Mrs. Haberman. I'm sorry to take up your time," Beckett said, standing and straightening her clothes.

"Detective?"

"Yes?"

"Brad's in trouble, isn't he?"

Her innate sense of honesty fought to answer, but she kept the answer as politic as possible. "We're not sure yet. We'd just like to talk to him."

The older woman sat for a moment, considering her options. "I have some of his stuff in the basement. He said he'd come back for it, but he never has."

Excitement blossomed in the cop. "I'd like that, if I could." She followed the woman down the stairs and waited as she sorted out boxes.

"He'd hidden this. I guess he forgot about it when he moved out," Mrs. Haberman said. "When I had a water pipe burst, the plumber found these where he'd stashed them behind an access panel." She looked up at the detective with guilt plain on her face. "I read one of those notebooks. Didn't like where his mind was going."

Beckett picked up the college style composition books. Opening it up, she saw immediately that she was on to something. The scribbling within wasn't the notes of a would-be writer; these were the ramblings of a much darker mind. She'd seen enough of the latter to be a fair judge. Flipping through the pages, sketches started appearing to illustrate the descriptions. Eventually one name caught her eye. The last name of Castle was unsurprising, but it took Beckett a moment to realize that the first name wasn't Richard but Alexis.

Too many thoughts ran through her head at once. Castle had done the right thing by sending his daughter away, but in the process had opened himself up as a target. Beckett slammed the book closed and dropped into the box. "Can I take these with me?" she asked.

"Of course." Tears glistened in Mrs. Haberman's eyes. "If Brad's hurting people, please make him stop."

"You have my word," Beckett said, positive that she'd never meant it more. "Thank you."

The two boxes weren't big, but they were heavy enough to be awkward as she got them out to her car. Once inside, she called in a BOLO for Bradley Meretan. As Beckett glanced at the boxes beside her, she felt genuine fear build inside her. This wasn't a simple stalker case, and apparently, it had never been that. If he was patient enough to play this game for years and never get caught, he definitely showed sociopathic tendencies. She wondered if the restraining order had simply forced him to be more subtle about his obsession.

Setting the boxes on her desk, she immediately pulled on a pair of latex gloves and began sorting through the contents. Letters, notebooks, pictures – oh, the pictures of Castle and Alexis at the playground were chilling, especially when Beckett could see that the girl was only about ten years old. There were unsealed but addressed envelopes that contained lurid drawings of Alexis. Some were sexual, some were violent, and some were bad enough to make the detective physically ill.

Ryan walked to his desk. "You're burger's cold," he said before his attention was caught by the boxes. "What've you got?"

"One really sick puppy." She looked up at the detective. "It wasn't Castle that was being stalked; it was Alexis."

"What?"

She held up one of the pictures, which was enough to drain the color from his face. "Who is he?"

"Believe it or not, a guy that stalked Castle years ago. Violated a restraining order. His name's Bradley Meretan. I've got his information out." Beckett shook her head. "This guy is just sick."

"Well, that fits in with what the CSUs found at Castle's. It seems that Alexis's bedroom was gone through thoroughly." Ryan shook his head. "And my first thought was robbery, since the kid's gonna have small, high-value electronics to sell off quick."

Beckett laughed wryly. "That makes sense. I'd have thought the same thing." She looked up suddenly. "What did we find at the second scene?"

"Not much. There wasn't really any evidence standing out, although I figure we probably got prints and fibers off the girl. No ID on her yet either."

"Chelsea Walker."

Esposito whistled and shook his head. "_How _do you do that?"

The two detectives looked up as the third joined them. "Do what?" Beckett asked.

"Come up with stuff like that. I swear, Castle's rubbing off on you."

The mention of the writer's name reminded them that their friend was still missing. "So what do we have here?" Esposito asked.

Ryan filled him in, and the two men donned gloves and joined them as they continued to sort through the material. Beckett eventually tried to eat the food Ryan had gotten her, but the graphic pictures deadened her appetite. The burger sat half-eaten in its wrapper as the trio continued plowing through the evidence.

Esposito suddenly pulled the notebook out of her hand. "What did you do that for?" she asked, blinking at him in surprise.

"Go home."

"No, I can't."

Ryan laughed. "You were nodding off trying to read that. Either go home or catch some z's on a couch or something. You need rest."

Beckett glanced at her computer screen and notice with some shock that it was long after midnight. "I'll go if you guys do," she said, punctuating it with a yawn that made her jaws ache.

"Done."

They carefully packed up their work and the three headed out the door. The trio split a cab, since none of them felt quite safe to drive. Beckett barely remembered getting in her door.


	5. Chapter 5

_Only four chapters and this is my third most reviewed story. Awesome! Here's one more for all of you. Hope this is what you're waiting for._

*****

The sun shining in her eyes woke her up. She lay in her bed, confused until she remembered the events of the previous day and night. The alarm clock showed that it was much later than she normally rose but still early by most people's standards. A quick shower and frozen bagel got her moving.

She was confused when she couldn't find her car until she remembered that she'd shared a cab earlier that morning. Sighing at the necessity, she hailed another taxi. As she sat in the back, impatient with the slow morning rush hour traffic, Beckett played through all the information from the day before. Something was there, something important, and she knew that she needed to remember it. Changing her mind, she directed the cabbie to a new address. Maybe walking through Castle's apartment would stir her memory.

The police tape was still across the door, but she could see that it had been disturbed. The door was locked, and she didn't have a key. Frustrated, she turned in circles in the hallway, trying to figure out what to do. A thump from inside the apartment meant someone was in there, and she made up her mind. Calling the building manager, she asked for his master keys and told him she'd meet him on the floor below the penthouse. The exchange took only moments, and while she was waiting she called for backup. Armed with a way in, she listened to see if she could hear any noise coming from within.

When it was quiet, she slipped the key into the lock and turned it as quietly as possible. Pushing the door open silently, she crept into the dim apartment with her gun drawn. There were slight noises upstairs, and Beckett froze when she heard footsteps. Holding her breath, she waited until the footsteps faded.

Going in without a plan left her at a distinct disadvantage. She looked around, trying to find some way of creating a distraction. A kitchen timer caught her eye. Grinning, she grabbed it and gave herself ten minutes, hopefully enough time to get in position. With the timer counting down, she took quick stock of the downstairs before finding a place to hide. After four minutes came and went, Beckett made a quick change of plans. She slipped her shoes off and began climbing the stairs in her stocking feet. Seeing Martha's bedroom at the head of the stairs, she slipped in there to wait until her trap was sprung.

The harsh beeping scared her, even though she was waiting for it. It was loud, too, and she hoped that she hadn't given herself away. She heard a voice, and a man walked past her hiding place and down the stairs.

She moved quickly, slipping down the hallway to peek into the other rooms. The master bedroom was the last door to open, and when she did, her breath left her body in a loud gasp. Rick Castle was tied to a chair. He was bleeding, and she couldn't see if he was conscious or not since his head hung low. Shutting the door behind her, she locked it and jammed another chair under the handle before turning to the writer.

He moaned as she began untying him. His daughter's name was the only thing she could make out, and when she finally looked at his face she saw why. Castle had been beaten. Both his eyes were swollen, and one was all the way shut. His lip was split badly, and he had several cuts all over his face. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought he'd been in a car wreck.

Beckett had just started on the ropes tying his ankles when she heard the doorknob rattle. An angry voice rose outside, but she didn't let it stop her. Needing cover, she finished freeing Castle. He fell forward onto her shoulder, and she stood, pulling him up as much as she could. They couldn't go far, but she half led, half dragged him into the bathroom. He moaned again as she lowered him to the floor.

Beckett had never seen him like this. Even when he'd been on the wrong end of a gun, he still managed to make smart ass comments. He was a mess. A quick check of his injuries showed that he'd been stabbed several times. None of them were particularly deep, but together they were dangerous. He was losing blood fast.

The detective realized sometime later that there was someone banging on the door to the bedroom. Peering out from around the door of the bathroom, she realized they were in even more trouble when a bullet shattered through the bedroom door. She leaned back and shut and locked the bathroom door, knowing that it wouldn't stop him for long.

Pulling Castle back out of the way of possible flying bullets, she pulled out her cell phone and called in her situation. She was assured that backup was on the way, and they sent out an order for an ambulance as well. Looking around the room, she found a decently stocked first aid kit.

He was still, very still. Panicked, she checked for a pulse and was happy to feel one. It was stronger than she expected. "You will _not _die on me after I made that promise to Alexis," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Come on, Castle. Wake up."

Beckett wasn't surprised when he ignored her. He never listened when he was awake; why should he listen to her when he was unconscious? The black shirt was torn beyond recognition, so she simply ripped it open to get it out of the way. Some of the slashes had already stopped bleeding, so she concentrated on the others. One of them was bleeding profusely, so she used a gauze pad from the kit to apply pressure. That brought a reaction from Castle. He moaned and rolled his head to the side.

"Come on. Wake up and talk to me. Make a stupid joke," she pleaded. Keeping the pressure steady with one hand, she reached for more gauze to work on another wound. Another shot sounded outside, and this time she could hear shouts. She knew that she didn't have much time before Meretan would get in here.

Making up her mind quickly, she used tape to keep the rough bandages in place before kneeling in front of him with her gun aimed at the door. She held the advantage in that he'd have to open the door and look around the room before seeing her, and she had her weapon aimed right at him. Her nerves stretched tight as she listened to the commotion outside, knowing that the chair was all that protected them.

"Beckett?"

She looked toward Castle, who was moving, just as the door was kicked open. Cursing herself for her loss of her advantage, she fired twice, forcing him to keep his distance. Meretan stuck his hand around the door and fired randomly around the room, but the bullets passed harmlessly over her head. Taking aim at where he should be standing, Beckett fired into the wall beside the door, placing three torso shots where he could be. There was a muffled noise and then no more shots were fired.

She held her position for a long moment as she waited for another attack. There was silence. Placing a hand on Castle's leg, she glanced over at him. He was squinting at her through his swollen eyes. She put a finger to her lips and pointed toward the bedroom. He nodded in acknowledgment.

Keeping low, she peered carefully out around the door. There was no one visible in the bedroom, so she pushed the door shut, regaining her advantage. By the time she got back to her vantage point, Castle was still again. Laying her gun where she could reach it quickly, Beckett continued bandaging him. One of the first dressings was soaked red, so she added another pad on top and taped it down as tightly as she could. The other one was just starting to show stains. In just a few moments, she got the rest of the wounds covered.

"You know …"

She jumped at his gravelly whisper. "Do I know what?" she asked.

"Know… who did this?"

Beckett nodded. "Oh, yes."

"Keep her safe."

"Don't talk like that," she snapped before looking at him. "There's an ambulance on its way. You'll be fine."

He closed his eyes, but the ghost of a grin twitched on his lips. "Liar. But you're good at it."

"None of these look too bad," she said, trying to gloss over the fact that there were too many of them.

"If we get out of this…"

"_When_," she corrected firmly.

Castle opened his eyes again. "If we get out of this, go talk to Brian Harkner."

"Been there, done that. Talk to him yourself." She saw him inhale and saw the hitching that comes from severe pain. "I know you're not going to die now." When he looked at her in confusion, she smiled. "You haven't said any kind of famous last words."

The laugh that bubbled up dissolved into a cough that obviously hurt him, but Beckett was encouraged by the fact that he wasn't coughing up blood. That was a very good sign.

"Sorry. Won't make you laugh again," she said softly.

"Do it. I think I'd like to go out laughing."

She sighed. "Castle, you're not dying. Especially not here on your bathroom floor."

He shook his head slightly. "Feels like it."

"Well, let's put it this way. You have to survive. This whole situation would make for a hell of a book. Just think, Nikki Heat having to save Jameson Rook… Very romantic, lots of sexual tension." Beckett looked around. "Although I would pick a better location than the bathroom."

"I could call it Heat Loss," he said. "I've killed off characters before."

"No one's getting killed off."

They fell silent, but she could see the gears in his mind working. A new book could be a very therapeutic way for him to work out what he'd been through. After a moment she thought to check her watch. Incredibly, only fifteen minutes had passed since the timer had gone off.

Looking at Castle, she reached out to brush the blood-matted hair away from his face. He didn't stir when she touched him. She felt such a sense of relief that he was alive, but true to form, she didn't want to think about it. It was all part of her job. She'd do the same for any of her colleagues.

And when the _hell_ had he truly become part of the team? Yes, she knew she'd told him that she'd gotten accustomed to him being around, but still, if he had left for any reason, she would've simply wished him well and continued on. This case hammered home to her that he really was an integral part of their team. It wasn't three cops and a writer any more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by noises downstairs. She heard the shouts identifying NYPD and sighed in relief. They'd be out of here soon, and the sooner the better. She didn't like how he looked. Since she had no witnesses, Beckett leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The next half hour was incredibly hectic as Castle was evaluated and loaded into the ambulance. She contacted her precinct and caught Montgomery up with the situation. The captain told her to head to the hospital and take Castle's statement.

Once at the hospital, she found herself waiting. He'd been taken into surgery, so she paced the waiting room. Esposito and Ryan joined her. "How is he?" they asked in unison.

"Don't know yet," she said with a shake of her head. "He's still in surgery. Did they get Meretan?"

Ryan sighed. "No. He was gone by the time we got there."

"He's wounded though. There was blood outside the bathroom door." Esposito smiled grimly. "Right where your bullet holes were in the wall."

"Since I know what a good shot you are, I know it wasn't an accident. How did you know he was there?"

Beckett shrugged. "He'd reached around to shoot into the bathroom. I knew about where he should be and made an educated guess." She laughed. "The real guess was whether the walls were the old pre-war lath and plaster or new drywall construction. Here's to cheap building materials."

A doctor approached them, silencing their chatter. "Det. Beckett?"

"That's me."

The doctor smiled. "Mr. Castle's going to be fine. The internal damage wasn't as extensive as we'd feared."

There was a chorus of relieved sighs at that news. "So when can I see him?" Beckett asked.

"He's still under the anesthetic, but you can go in anytime." The doctor held up a cautionary hand. "Mr. Castle still has a long recovery time ahead of him. While his wounds weren't as bad as we feared, there was still a considerable amount of damage. And that recovery means rest."

"Oh, that's gonna be easy. He's like a coffeed-up Chihuahua," Esposito said.

Beckett turned and looked at the two men, allowing the doctor to excuse himself. She dropped her voice. "I need you two to get Meretan. With Castle not dead, he's still a very dangerous man."

"Got it."

"And get a protective detail in here while you're at it," she said as they turned to leave.

"Yes, ma'am."

Inhaling deeply, Beckett braced herself as she walked back to Castle's room. The expected beeps met her ears, but the vision of Rick Castle lying that still was a shock. He was pale, and his shirtless chest was covered with far too many bandages. She could almost read what had been done to him. Bruises from fists were becoming visible, and having seen the cuts on his torso, she could only guess at how many dozens of stitches he had.

He looked much more peaceful, though. She wasn't about to disturb his sleep, so she pulled a chair up and took watch over him.


	6. Chapter 6

The clicking of a camera woke her. Blinking, she straightened in the chair, feeling her muscles complain as she tried to stretch out.

"It's about time. I have no idea how you could sleep like that," Lanie said as she took another picture.

"What are you doing here?"

The M.E. gestured with the camera. "We needed to document these. I thought you'd feel better if I did it."

Beckett nodded. Her friend knew her well. "Thanks."

Glancing at Castle, he showed no signs of waking, even with the voices and flashes from the camera. The bandages had been carefully peeled back, and Beckett winced at all the stitches showing. "I didn't exactly ask. What happened to him?"

"No concussion, although he got the hell beat out of him." Lanie laughed softly. "I guess we know now just exactly how hard his head really is."

Beckett smiled at that. "I can attest to that. What else?"

"Fifteen stab wounds. Most were shallow, but there were four that needed subcutaneous stitches as well as surface stitches. His spleen was bruised, but they didn't need to remove it. They just got the internal bleeding stopped. He's also got three broken ribs. It's a miracle that his lungs weren't punctured. If they had, he never would've made it here." The M.E. looked at the detective with a very serious expression. "If you hadn't been so quick to bandage him up, he would've bled to death. It was a very close call."

There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about it being that close. "I made a promise to Alexis and I had to keep it," she said quietly. "Speaking of which, I need to call her and Martha. The hard part will be keeping them from coming back to see him until he has a chance to recover a little. I'd rather they didn't have to see him looking like this."

"Good luck with that."

She laughed then quieted down so she wouldn't wake him. Lanie finished with her pictures, then hugged Beckett and left quietly. Beckett settled back down in her chair and twisted around, trying to find a comfortable position.

"You saved my life?"

She jumped and looked at a very awake Castle. "Apparently."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"How long have you been awake?" she asked, frowning suspiciously.

"Long enough." He tried to raise his eyebrows and winced when it hurt. "I didn't know you cared."

Beckett relented with a smile, too relieved to have Castle back to his teasing self to be upset. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've gone through a wood-chipper."

"And how would you know how that feels?"

"I saw it on a TV show. I'm a writer. I put myself in that situation and imagine how it feels."

She sighed. "Well, it was close enough."

"How many stitches this time?" he asked, peering down at the bandages that decorated his chest.

"I don't know exactly. A lot."

"More than forty-five?"

Beckett snorted. "Yeah, I'd say so."

"Beat my old record then."

Dropping her head in her hands, she sighed. "Dare I ask what happened?"

"In college, I went sledding with some roommates. We couldn't afford to drive out of town to real hills, so we found an old fire escape staircase. We packed the snow on the steps to make our own sled run. I went down first. Caught my leg on a broken piece of railing. Thus endeth the sledding trip."

Despite herself, Beckett laughed. "You never do anything by halves, do you?"

"Nope."

They were quiet for a moment before she broke the silence. "Are you up to giving your statement now?"

"Yeah. The sooner the better." He sighed. "Where do you want me to start?"

"At the beginning."

Castle closed his eyes for a moment. "A few weeks ago, a threatening letter was left for me in the lobby. I let Mrs. Greaver file a police report, but I knew that it was for me."

"How did you know?" Beckett asked.

"The Storm comment, and the fact that it was signed Nikki Heat. So I upped the security on my apartment and just kept an eye out."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It didn't seem like a big enough deal to involve a homicide detective. Besides, not exactly my first stalker. Anyway, last week Alexis and I went out to eat. When the waiter brought the check, there was a note in it saying that he was watching me. I never saw him, but obviously this guy knew a lot about me. So I found a way to get Alexis and Mother out of town."

"Speaking of which, maybe you can be the one to call them and let them know you're going to be all right."

"Oh, sure. Take the coward's way out," he teased. "You're just afraid of my mother."

"No, I'm not," Beckett said too quickly. "All right, maybe a little."

Castle smiled at that admission. "After they left, I was going to leave. I really was. Came and told you that and everything." He gave her a long look. "You knew something was up, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"I knew it."

"Castle, this could've been avoided had you just told me what was going on then."

"Tell you what? That I _might_ have a stalker out there? I didn't know how serious he was until George got killed."

"Why not tell me then? Didn't you think that it might be relevant?"

He turned his head away, refusing to meet her gaze. "I was going to."

"When?"

"After I left town. I needed to make sure that my family was safe." He sighed shakily. "I got another letter, saying that Alexis would pay if I said anything to the cops."

She felt the guilt rolling off of him. His desire to protect his family weighed heavily on him. "Castle, George's death wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?" He looked back at her, staring right into her eyes. "He got killed just because he was friends with me. Someone wanted to hurt me and they went through him."

The memory of Meretan's notebooks and the disturbing contents made Beckett change her direction. "You've had stalkers in the past."

"Yeah."

"Tell me about them."

Castle faltered for a moment. "There were two that got close. One was that girl that killed herself. I know her brother tried to sue me and the judge threw the suit out."

"What about the other one?"

He shrugged awkwardly. "Some college kid. He just wanted his stuff read."

"Did you read any of it?"

"Nah. My publishers won't let me touch any unsolicited material. Too big a chance for plagiarism lawsuits."

She kept pushing. "And what made you file a restraining order?"

"When he talked to Alexis. I think he was a student teacher or volunteer or something at her school. He tried to get her to take the material to give it to me." Castle gave her a long look. "Is that who took me? That kid?"

Beckett nodded. "He's not a kid anymore."

"He seems to have graduated to bigger and more gruesome things."

"He has indeed. What happened after I left your place yesterday?"

Castle closed his eyes for a moment. "I got a phone call. It was this guy. He told me to turn around." His face paled as he recalled the scene. "He was standing at the top of the stairs holding one of her nightshirts."

Beckett stiffened. Meretan had been in the apartment while she was there. "How did he get in?"

"I don't know."

She sat and let him recover for a moment. "So, he took you?"

"Yeah. He told me all the things he was going to do to them if I didn't do exactly what he said." Castle swallowed hard. "Can I get a drink?"

Pouring a cup from the pitcher of ice water, she handed it to him and watched him sip it. After a moment he handed it back. "Thanks. So I figured that I'd go along with him, give you as much as I could."

"We saw you on the security tapes."

He grinned. "Knew you'd get it." Shifting uncomfortably, he grimaced as he tried to find a better position. "Hate hospitals. Anyway, he picked up this girl, I think his girlfriend, and they told me to go to one of my real estate holdings. I have no idea how he knew about it, or that he knew that it wasn't occupied."

Beckett was beginning to see things about their suspect that made her very concerned. "Go on."

"I asked the super for the keys. I knew you guys would find out about that apartment sooner or later." His smile toward her was lopsided and reminded Beckett of a little kid. "I was really hoping for the sooner part."

"Apparently we just missed you. You saw him kill her, didn't you?"

Nodding, Castle closed his eyes. "She didn't like what he was doing. Kept arguing with him. Finally, he just … hit her." He grimaced. "It only took the one time. He acted like it was no big deal."

"Go on if you can," she said quietly after a long pause.

"He dragged me out of there and then brought me in the service entrance of my building. He knew that there weren't any cameras back there." A snort erupted. "That reminds me. I will bring up that safety fact at the next HOA meeting."

She grinned. Leave it to him to make jokes at a time like this. "Did he say why he was taking you back to your own apartment?"

"He said that the cops would've cleared out by now. They had plenty of time to process the scene and would just leave it taped off." Castle frowned. "So how did you just happen to show up there this morning?"

"Call it a hunch." Beckett kept probing. "What time did you get back to your place?"

"Don't know. It was after dark. He took me upstairs and tied me to that chair. Then he talked. Lots of talking. Talks more than me even."

He let his head roll to the side, and when his eyes closed this time, she realized that he was falling asleep. "Get some rest, Castle. We'll keep watch over you."

Jerking awake, he turned his gaze to the detective. "You'll make sure Alexis is safe, right?"

"I'll give you the same promise I gave her. I'll do everything in my power to keep her and your mother safe." Beckett smiled at him. "Go to sleep or I'll make the nurses sedate you."

"Not fair. I've seen a couple of nice-looking ones in here," he said with a shadow of his normal smile. It faded as his eyes closed, and she thought he looked more relaxed than he had earlier.

Noting the uniforms that flanked the door as she exited, she nodded to them and walked outside. She pulled out her cell phone and began calling. The calls to Alexis and Martha went as planned, and it took quite a bit of convincing for them both to stay where they were. Only after promising to have Castle call them when he woke up again did she get their assurances that they would not come back to New York.

The next call was to Ryan, passing on instructions for him and Esposito to look into the death of Nick Haberman and to find out who his friends in the department were. After that, she let Montgomery know about Castle's statement.

Exhausted, Beckett stopped in the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and walked back up to Castle's room. He was sound asleep this time, and she sat and sipped the drink, willing the caffeine to wake her up.

Bradley Meretan seemed entirely too comfortable with police procedures. If his uncle's friends had indeed taken him under their wings, that could explain the lack of a criminal record. This guy was sick, but apparently very intelligent and careful. She also hoped that there weren't any of those officers helping him with his crimes.

There had to be something else. She'd heard those deadbolts on his door. Castle might be a playboy, but when it came to his family, he knew where his priorities lay. If Meretan could get inside that security without alerting anyone, he was certainly a man to watch. Especially since Castle had seen him commit a murder. There was no way he could afford to leave the writer alive.

Beckett shook her head. "Oh, Castle, how do you get yourself into these things?" she whispered.

He shifted in his sleep at her voice. The swelling in his face had not receded, and his eyes, both of them, were coloring brilliantly. She wondered if there was any way she could delay the Castle women from seeing him until he'd had a chance for some of the bruises to fade.

Letting her head fall against the back of the chair, she closed her eyes for a moment. Lack of sleep the night before overpowered the caffeine in her system and she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Castle woke slowly. Every bit of him hurt. The comparison to the wood-chipper had been accurate. He couldn't think of a word for pain that he couldn't attribute to one part of him or another. Despite Lanie's assurance of no concussion, his head pounded fiercely. As he'd talked out the last day with Beckett, it hadn't gotten any easier.

A soft sound caught his attention, and he saw her leaned back in the chair. His grin grew as he realized that the detective snored. It wasn't loud or obnoxious; in fact, he found it rather endearing. It was yet another tiny detail to add to the puzzle that was Kate Beckett.

His memories of the rescue weren't particularly clear. The stalker, Castle had forgotten what his name was, had been too thrilled with inflicting pain to notice that he had gotten beyond his threshold. Rick had been rather fascinated, actually, by the fact that he could see that damned knife going in and cutting him and there was no sensation of it at all. The part of him that realized this was not a good sign had given up long ago. His only hope was that Beckett could protect his little girl, since he'd failed.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Beckett was there. He didn't understand it – thought maybe it was another figment of his imagination that he'd called forth to distract him from this psycho that was doing stuff to him. However, when he'd fallen forward onto her shoulder, he decided that hallucinations couldn't actually free him. Somehow he'd ended up on the bathroom floor discussing the next Nikki Heat book. Beckett's idea had merit. He liked the heroine aspect of Nikki, and that scenario was fraught with potential.

It was what happened after the discussion that he couldn't sort as fact or fiction. He thought that he'd felt a kiss on his head, but his rational mind just could not justify that action with Kate Beckett. Smacking him on the head, yes, but kissing him? It just didn't wash.

To distract himself from that mystery, he let his mind wander back through the statement he'd given. Beckett was good at her job, asking questions that pulled the most information out. Some of the questions made him think that Beckett knew more than she was letting on.

He looked up when Ryan peered in the door. "Come in," he said when the detective saw Beckett asleep.

"Good to see you in one piece," Ryan said quietly.

"Feels more like pieces," Castle said. "She didn't like my wood-chipper analogy."

Ryan snorted. "You watch too much TV, man."

"Yeah, I know." Castle sighed and shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. "So what's up?"

"I came to talk to Beckett, but she's out. We checked the hospitals and clinics and so far no one matching Meretan's description has come in to be treated for gunshot wounds."

Castle frowned, then winced. "She got him?"

"Yeah. Didn't do much but slow him down." Ryan gave him a long, serious look. "Look, we've got protective details on you and the LAPD has details on Alexis and your ex. Nobody's going to get through to her."

"Why not Mother? He threatened her too," the writer said.

"Those books we found focused on Alexis, not Martha."

Castle froze on the bed. "What books?"

Ryan realized belatedly that he'd revealed something he shouldn't have. "Nothing. Forget I mentioned it."

"Damn it, what books?"

He shushed Castle, glancing over at Beckett who was still sleeping. Keeping his voice as low as possible, he gave the barest details of the notebooks she'd found. Castle's bruises jumped into stark contrast as the blood drained from his face.

"That bastard is after my little girl?"

Ryan nodded. "My guess is that since he couldn't get to her personally, he'd make her suffer by killing you. Then he'd be able to get to her."

"Where is that son of a bitch?"

"Whoa, man, you're not going anywhere," Ryan said, gently preventing Castle from moving from the bed. "You are still just stitched together. Let us take care of this."

"But she's my baby."

"Don't you trust her to take to protect Alexis?" the detective asked knowingly, looking pointedly toward Beckett.

Castle calmed down and leaned back. "Of course I trust her with Beckett." He let his head fall back wearily. "It's just, I know what he's capable of. I heard him talking. I thought it was just taunts to mess with me." He shuddered. "I never really thought that I was in the way of him getting her."

Ryan fought back his own shudder. He remembered the details of the notebooks, and that was something he could definitely keep to himself. Castle needed his strength to recover, not to lay there worrying about his daughter. "We'll get him. He's wounded and he'll make a mistake."

Peering up at the detective through his still swollen eyes, Castle beckoned him down. "You get that bastard."

The detective nodded. "I will." When Beckett stirred, Ryan continued. "Don't be too hard on her."

He left before the writer could react to that. Looking over at the woman, he realized that he was angry at her for holding back information. It didn't matter that he couldn't do anything about it; he wasn't some random victim. He'd worked with them long enough to expect some of the same courtesies they'd extend to another officer. He deserved to know who Meretan's real target had been.

"Was Ryan just here?" she mumbled, blinking against the lights. "I thought I heard his voice."

"Yeah. He said they haven't found the guy yet."

Beckett heard the curt words and sat up. Blinking again, she focused on Castle's face. Something had happened. "What's wrong, then?"

He didn't answer, and she knew that he was upset about something. Castle _always_ had a comeback. "What?"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about Alexis?"

She realized two things in that moment. The first was that she'd relegated him to that of a normal victim by keeping information from him, and the second was that he was really angry at her. Castle just didn't get mad, but the swelling didn't hide his very real fury.

Considering her options, she decided to go for the truth. "You weren't in any shape to hear it. We had it under control, and frankly, I thought you'd rest better if you thought he was focused on you."

"Don't you think that maybe I should make that decision? She's my daughter!"

Beckett winced at the force of those words. He could be intimidating when he wasn't acting like a teenage boy. "Castle, I'm sorry. You're right."

"I – What?"

"You're right. I should've told you." She stared openly into his face. "I was trying to protect you, but to not offer you the option was wrong." They were both quiet until she broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

"Damn it! You make it really hard to be mad at you," he grumbled.

Letting a relieved grin soften her face, Beckett sighed. "I'm just glad you don't stay mad." Leaning against the side of the bed, she took his hand. "I will keep her safe. You have my word."

"I believe you. Now go get that son of a bitch." Castle relaxed back against the bed. "I won't go anywhere or do anything. I promise."

Beckett nodded. "All right. Get some rest."

"Yes, Mommy."

She laughed, happy that he was back to teasing. Pulling her wrinkled jacket on, she patted his leg on the way out. She got about halfway down the hall when she had an idea. Walking back into the room, she pulled her spare weapon out of its holster. Without saying a word, she checked the gun to make sure it was loaded and then tucked it under the edge of the blanket near his hand. Castle looked up, startled, but she had already turned and left.

Now that she knew he was going to be okay, she headed back to the precinct with a clearer head. Walking in, she sat at her desk and started trying to get her thoughts gathered.

Esposito walked in. "I got the info you wanted on Nick Haberman's death. He was shot by a drug dealer who just happened to be conducting a deal where Haberman was walking his beat. The kid who shot him was caught within hours and is now serving time in Riker's."

"So Meretan wasn't involved in that shooting?" she asked.

"Nah, he's clean on that. However, I did discover that our stalker has hit up at least three of his uncle's friends for favors to keep him out of jail. One was a B&E – charges were dropped."

"Where?"

He checked his notes. "A prep school. I'll give you three guesses but you'll only need one."

Beckett shook her head. "Would that happen to be Alexis Castle's school?"

"Knew you'd get it. Nothing was taken or disturbed that the arresting officer could tell, so when a fellow cop asked for a favor, it was dropped. Same story for the stolen car. Different arresting, different favor."

"What about the third one?"

"This is where it gets weird. Apparently, Meretan was picked up in connection to an alleged kidnapping. Turns out it was his girlfriend, and after another friend of his talked to her, she dropped the charges."

She sighed. "The same girl he killed, I'll bet."

"IA had better nail all three of these guys," Esposito growled. "Any one of them had done their job, this killer wouldn't be on the street."

"Hindsight's a bitch." Beckett leaned back in her chair as she considered her next move. "You know what? Bring in all three of them."

"Together?"

"Yeah." She smiled tightly. "Let them all stew in interrogation for a while."

"You got it." He laughed. "I love a devious woman."

Beckett laughed and winked at him. For the first time since they realized that Castle was missing, the atmosphere wasn't as stifling. Knowing that he was going to recover put spirit back in them. Now if they could just catch this guy, everything would be fine.


	8. Chapter 8

Beckett walked into interrogation. Staring at the men who had sworn to uphold the law, she fought back the nausea that accompanied the memories of George Butler and Chelsea Walker. Those two had been failed by the system.

"You wanna tell us what's going on?"

"And you are?"

"Sgt. Frank Peck."

She stared at the other two until they gave their names as Officers Tim Lords and Jack Bradford. "Yes, I will tell you. You're being held as accessories to murder."

Two of them laughed.

"You find that funny?" she asked, her voice growing steely.

Lords nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry, but I've never done anything even coming close to helping out a murderer."

"What about you?" she asked Bradford.

"Same as him."

"Really." Beckett started spreading out crime scene photos of George and Chelsea. "This gentleman was murdered yesterday morning. This young lady was murdered last night. You know what they've got in common?"

All three men shook their heads.

"They were both killed by Bradley Meretan."

Suddenly they put it together. "Wait, Brad did that?" Peck asked.

"I have an eyewitness who watched him kill this girl, Chelsea Walker, in cold blood, right in front of him. You can't get much more solid than that."

"You can't be serious. I've known Brad for years." Bradford said. "Hell, he's even come on patrol with us."

"Yeah, Nicky always bragged on how smart the kid was."

"Well, Nicky's nephew used you. He used his knowledge of police procedures to stalk, torture, and kill." Beckett was letting some of her fury show. "Any one of you could've just done your duty and let the system put this guy in jail and _you __let him go._"

"Wait a damn minute!" Lords protested. "You're trying to pin an accessory charge on us for sticking up for a kid who made a couple dumb mistakes?"

"No, I'm saying that if even one of you had done their job, these two people would still be alive." Beckett flipped through the folder. "Peck, you pulled rank to get that B&E dropped."

"He was just goofing around. Kids will be kids."

She continued. "Bradford, you talked a fellow officer out of running him in for a stolen car."

The man shrugged. "Brad said he was just borrowing the car from a drunk friend and when the guy sobered up, he didn't remember loaning it out and reported it stolen."

"Okay, then, Lords, I'm just curious. What did you say to Chelsea Walker to get her to drop the kidnapping charges?"

The other two men turned to face him. "It was a joke. They were just taking a road trip."

"Kidnapping?"

Lords flushed. "Look. She was still underage by a couple months and Brad said that it was just because her parents would've freaked. So I talked her out of it and had a friend of hers take her home." Shrugging off the stares, he shook his head. "I didn't threaten her. I just talked to her. Told her that she could get in trouble for filing a false police report if she was just using us to get her out of trouble with her folks."

Beckett leaned back in her chair and stared. "Laid out like that, none of it seems quite so innocent now, does it?" She let her words sink in for a moment. "I've got a witness in the hospital held together with stitches and two bodies in the morgue. You understand how serious I am now?"

"What do you want us to do, Detective?" Bradford asked.

"Where is Meretan?"

"He has a place over on the Lower East Side. It's a friend's place, but he sublets."

"Gimme the address."

She jotted down the information and got up to leave.

Lords stopped her before she got to the door. "You're not really charging us with accessory to murder, are you?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "But I have a feeling you'll all be getting visits from Internal Affairs, though." She shut the door against their groans.

Walking quickly through the bullpen, Beckett shouted out, "Ryan! Esposito! Mount up!"

It took only moments before they were on their way to the address. A quick shout announcing the police was all they needed before the door was popped open by the battering ram. Beckett rushed inside, clearing the first room and letting her partners sweep past her, clearing the next. When the apartment was cleared, she began taking a closer look.

The space had been very recently occupied. Dirty dishes and empty take out containers balanced on top of a pizza box. Beckett checked the date on the delivery tag. "He was here three days ago," she said.

"He was here more recently than that," Esposito called from the bathroom. "Come take a look at this."

She walked into the tiny room and peered over their shoulders. There were bloodied bandages lying in the sink.

"I make it to be two separate wounds," Ryan said. "Three blind shots, two hits. That's some impressive shooting."

"Let's save the celebrating until _after_ we nail this dirtbag," Beckett said shortly. "We missed him again, which means that Castle's still in danger."

Appropriately chastened, the two men followed her out of the apartment. Once back at the station, Beckett put a twenty-four hour watch on the apartment along with Meretan's aunt's house. She didn't think he'd return to either place, but better safe than sorry. There was even more paperwork piling up, but she knew she wasn't in any shape to take care of it. "I'm heading back to the hospital, guys. Call if you need me."


	9. Chapter 9

Castle catnapped for a while, his headache preventing him from sleeping soundly. The weight of the weapon beside him reminded him of the last time Beckett had trusted him with a gun. The fact that he'd nearly missed Scott Dunn completely, leaving him free to shoot Beckett had been enough for him to go take a few lessons from one of Manhattan's gun clubs. The thought of using it against someone for real turned his stomach. Until he thought about Meretan with his daughter.

Sliding his hand under the blanket, he felt the handle, and he wrapped his fingers around it. The metal warmed in his palm as he gripped it tightly. If he were writing this story, he'd have the bad guy show up in his room about now. Castle didn't want to be the sitting duck cliché.

When the door opened, he looked up, expecting Beckett or a doctor. Instead, he faced Meretan.

"Damn, I'm good," Castle said. "I was just thinking if this were one of my books, I'd have the bad guy show up. And here you are."

"Shut up!" Meretan growled. "You've screwed up so much of this! You were supposed to be dead by now."

"Well, I've never been one to follow script. Having an actress for a mother you'd think I'd have better timing."

Meretan frowned. "You seem awfully glib for someone about to die."

Castle shrugged. "Let's just say this isn't the normal way this scene plays out."

"Oh, I think it will be." He pulled a gun and began screwing on a silencer. He grimaced as he took a limping step forward.

The slow movements and pallid complexion told the writer a lot. "You know, you look funny. Almost like you were shot." Castle grinned brightly. "Could it be that Det. Beckett surprised you?"

"She just put herself on my list. I'll deal with her after you're dead."

The threat against Beckett pushed him over. This son of a bitch was done threatening his loved ones. Castle raised his gun, aiming it at Meretan's heart. "This is where the story changes," he said, the smile gone.

"Wha-?"

Meretan's bewilderment brought a slight grin back to Castle's face. "Let's just say I like shaking things up. It'll go over so well in my next book." Seeing Meretan staring at the weapon dumbly, he motioned to the chair Beckett had slept in earlier. "Have a seat."

Meretan hesitated and started to raise his own gun.

"You know, my instructor at the shooting range said I was an excellent student." Castle grinned again, a dark edge to his expression. "And from this range, I can't really see how I could miss."

The stalker sank down into the chair. "You know you'll only get one shot off."

"I'll only need one."

Castle's confidence shook Meretan. He finally let his gun fall to the floor and slumped back, defeated.

-----

When Beckett got to the hospital, she was alarmed to see that there was no guard at Castle's door. Pulling her gun, she slipped up to the door. She kicked it open and rushed in.

"Beckett! What wonderful timing," Castle said. "Look who decided to join us."

Every time she thought she'd figured this man out, he pulled something new. Sitting in his hospital bed, sporting more stitches than a crazy quilt, and holding his torturer at gunpoint, the writer turned to her with a big grin. Beckett struggled to keep her mouth from dropping open. Castle kept her on her toes, that was for sure.

Sighing in relief that it was over, she walked over to Meretan and pulled out her cuffs. She noticed that he sagged against her heavily and that he was very pale, but at this point she didn't really care. She was just glad that it was finally over. It only took a moment to read him his rights.

"Okay, Castle, you can put the gun away," she said.

He shook his head. "Nah. Can't do that yet. Once he's gone, then I'll put it down."

She gave him a long look, taking in the fact that he was no longer smiling. There was an intensity that she'd never seen in him before. Beckett hauled Meretan to the door, where she found the officer had returned to his post. After a quick and serious conference with him, she had Meretan taken downtown. When she entered the room alone, Castle laid the gun down.

"I may regret asking this, but what happened?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I was laying here, thinking about what would happen if I were writing this, and I played out the scene where the bad guy comes in. Usually it's the hero, or heroine in this case, who comes in and saves helpless victim in the nick of time." He pointed at the gun. "You made sure I wasn't helpless."

Her respect for him grew a little more. "You weren't tempted to just shoot him?"

Castle's face darkened again. "Yeah, I was. I was really hoping that he'd just push it a little more. I really wanted to make sure that he never had a chance to touch my baby."

She met his gaze and nodded seriously. Words weren't really necessary as they shared a moment.

As usual, Castle broke the silence. "I'll really need to rework that for the book."

"Why? It's totally different than most stories," Beckett said. "I mean, it's an awesome twist."

"Come on. It was completely anticlimactic."

She laughed at his petulance. "Oh, Castle, you'll be the death of me yet."

"Not if I can help it."

-----

Since Castle couldn't meet up in the precinct for their normal post-case meet, Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan sat around his hospital bed, sharing Chinese takeout while Castle picked at his bland hospital meal.

"Just a bite?" he pleaded at Beckett, who grinned as she slurped a huge mouthful of noodles.

"Are you kidding?" Esposito said. "Man, you just had surgery yesterday. This Szechuan stuff would fry you from the inside out."

Ryan laughed and tossed Castle a fortune cookie. "Here. Knock yourself out."

Pouting, the writer cracked it open. "A burden shared is a burden lightened." He threw the slip of paper back at Ryan. "Like they couldn't have told me this a week ago."

"That's great advice," Beckett said. "Maybe next time you'll remember that."

"There will be no next time," Esposito said. "The captain has already said that there will be a special task force following you around, just to make sure this never happens again." He held a straight face, winking at his partners. Beckett looked down into her carton, unable to meet anyone's gaze. Ryan was nearly as stoic until he caught sight of Castle's horrified expression. His choking laugh set off a chain reaction.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny guys," Castle said grumpily. "I'm the pincushion. Least you can do is be nice."

The laughter settled as the three turned back to their food.

"So, how did the interrogation go?" Castle asked Beckett.

She frowned slightly. It had not been pleasant questioning Meretan, and it had been complicated by the fact that he'd been handcuffed to a hospital bed. Of course, she was the one that shot him, so she supposed that everything evened out. "It went."

"I don't understand why he risked going back to the penthouse," Ryan said.

"He said that he knew it was safe since the cops would have been there and gone already," Castle said.

"It wasn't just that," she said. "It played into his fantasy. He was taking out the last obstacle to his ultimate goal in her house." Beckett didn't mention what had bothered her was why Meretan hadn't tortured Castle in Alexis's room. His fantasy would have been heightened by killing there, but Castle had already suffered enough without having to consider that possibility.

"Did he say why he killed George and his girlfriend?" Esposito asked.

"He lawyered up and refused to answer any questions about anything."

Castle looked back to Beckett. "So, what actually happened at my place? I mean, you just showed up out of the blue."

"Yeah, how did you know he'd be there?" Ryan asked, interest plain on his face.

"I didn't." At the dubious protests, she put up her hands. "Honestly, guys, I didn't know he'd be there. I just had this feeling I was missing something and thought walking around Castle's place might help figure out what. When I got there, I noticed that the tape had been disturbed and that the door was locked. When I heard noises inside, I decided to go in."

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Esposito asked. "It didn't take us that long to get there."

Beckett shrugged uncomfortably. "I thought that maybe since it was just me, I could get in and get out quickly."

"You'd bust us both if we tried that," Ryan said.

She ducked her head sheepishly. "I know. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"I'm glad you did," Castle said quietly.

That reminded them just how close they'd come to losing him. Esposito and Ryan shared a quick look and dropped the subject. Yeah, she'd broken protocol, but she'd saved Castle's life in the process. They'd read the report and seen the apartment, so they knew she'd handled the situation as well as anyone could have.

"Hey, it's getting late," Ryan said when he noticed Castle yawning. "Listen, we'll see you later."

"Yeah. Get some rest," Esposito added. "Give my regards to that nurse."

"The redhead?" Castle asked with a smile on his face.

"Oh, yeah."

They shared a laugh and left. The room was suddenly quiet with just Beckett and Castle remaining.

"I thought I was imagining you."

"What?" she asked, not following his statement.

"When you showed up in my room. I thought I was hallucinating again." He stared down at the blanket, refusing to meet her eyes. "All I could think about was how I'd failed and I knew you'd protect Alexis. And then you were there."

Beckett sat frozen in her seat. This very serious side was disconcerting, and she didn't know how to react to him. "I'm sorry I didn't figure it out quicker," she said finally.

"Don't be. You did your job. No harm done."

They both ignored the fact that he was in the hospital and just sat quietly. As usual, Castle was the one to break the spell. He grabbed the TV remote and began flipping through the channels. Stopping on a movie, he pointed. "See? She'd make an awesome Nikki Heat in the movie."

"Sandra Bullock? Huh-uh," Beckett said, shaking her head vigorously. "No way."

"What? She's beautiful, she's smart…"

"And she just doesn't fit." Taking the remote away from him, she took her turn finding a channel. "There. That's better."

"Nicole Kidman? First off, wrong hair color…"

"What's wrong with blonde?" Beckett asked.

Castle continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "Secondly, she's not earthy enough."

"Earthy?" she repeated, trying not to choke.

He waved his hand. "You know what I mean. Nikki's got to have kind of a rough edge to her. Kidman's too sophisticated to play it right."

"All right then. What about Kate Winslet? She's got that rougher edge to her."

Castle considered that selection. "Okay. You know, I could see her. That's not a bad choice. But what about Anne Hathaway? Did you see her in _Rachel Getting Married_?"

Beckett stared at him. "You saw _Rachel Getting Married_?"

He shrugged. "Well, not technically. Alexis rented it and conned Mother into watching it with her, and I saw parts of it. But that's beside the point. I still think she could work."

The remote fell on the bed, forgotten, as the two continued debating the casting. Beckett was immensely relieved to see Castle back to normal, so she let herself relax and just enjoy the evening.


	10. Epilogue

Somehow, Beckett managed to keep the Castle women out of town long enough to let him heal. His eyes weren't swollen anymore, and his bruises had faded somewhat. He was still sporting a pair of very vivid shiners, though.

Having gotten most of his stitches out, he was finally allowed to go home. Beckett got him settled just as Martha breezed in the door, tossing her handbag to the side and pointing out to the doorman where to set her luggage.

"Richard, you look awful."

"Thank you, Mother. I missed you too," he said, rolling his eyes. "And how was your trip?"

"Not good. Do you realize that my play opening coincided with some big sporting event? We closed the first week." She looked at Beckett. "And how are you doing?"

"I'm ... fine," she said hesitantly. She choked on a laugh when she saw the faces Castle was making behind his mother's back.

"That flight was horrid. I need a drink. Richard, do you want one?"

He rolled his eyes again and mimed a silent, but dramatic sigh. "Can't now, Mother. They've got me on some awesome painkillers."

Whatever was said next was lost to the shriek that accompanied the red blur from the door. Alexis launched herself at her father, shoulder bag still attached. It bumped him, and he tried to hide the wince. Beckett hid her smile as she watched the women welcome him home.

"Easy! I'm still really sore!" he said, laughing as he hugged her as tight as he could.

The girl turned to Beckett and hugged the startled detective. "Thanks so much for finding him," she said.

"You're welcome."

Collapsing on the sofa next to him, Alexis curled up and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm never leaving you alone again."

"Oh yes you will. I'm a big boy, and besides, I am your father. I do know how to survive alone," he said, holding her tight.

"Alexis, your father can take care of himself just fine," Beckett said.

The pride in her voice startled the girl, who looked up at her father and the detective. "Is there something going on here I should know about?"

"No, nothing at all," both of them said, over top of one another and much too quickly.

Alexis and Martha exchanged knowing looks.

"Well, since he's home and settled and you ladies are here to take care of him, I'd better get home," Beckett said.

"You don't have to go. Please, stay," Castle said, lifting pleading hands above his daughter's head. "Don't leave me to their mercies! Besides, it's movie night."

"Absolutely. Stay, please." Alexis looked up at her with playfully big eyes. "We owe you that much, at least," she added a little more seriously.

"As if Alexis or I would ever do anything to hinder your recovery," Martha said smoothly as she took a seat. With her legs crossed genteelly and a drink dangling elegantly from her fingers, she was a distinct contrast to her son's battered appearance. "But do feel free to join us."

Hesitantly looking between the three, the detective finally broke. "Okay. So what kind of movie is on for tonight?"

Selections were called out as everyone settled into comfy positions. Somehow Beckett found herself on one side of Castle with Alexis on the other side. After deciding on a comedy, the four settled down to munch the popcorn and watch the silly antics on the big screen TV.

Long after Martha excused herself for the night, Castle realized that he had two sleeping women leaning against him. Deciding that it was safe to return the favor, he kissed the top of Beckett's head before hugging Alexis tighter to him. He let his head fall back against the sofa and joined them in sleep.

*****

_And that's it. I hope you enjoyed this plot bunny. I enjoyed writing it immensely. A great big huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and a huge thanks to everyone who enjoyed it. _

_Since my original fiction will be taking precedence until it's finished, I suspect it will be a while before I post again, but I foresee more fun with Castle and Beckett in the future. Until then._

_ashleezak  
_


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